Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Man fatally shot by his cousin while attempting to see whether bullet-resistant vest still worked

A Florida man faces a manslaughter charge after shooting his cousin in an attempt to see whether a bullet-resistant vest still worked, according to police.
At 10pm on Saturday, Joaquin Mendez, 23, tried on the bullet-resistant vest, Tampa police said.

They said they found Mendez outside, wounded in the chest. Inside, they found blood and the vest, which had a bullet hole.
Garibaldi, 24, told officers he heard a gunshot, then discovered his wounded cousin outside. But police said they heard a different story from a witness.

The witness reported that Mendez sat in a chair and put the vest on, wondering whether it worked, and that Garibaldi took out a gun, said, "Let's see," and shot.
Mendez was taken to a hospital, where he died.
In addition to the manslaughter with a weapon charge, Garibaldi faces a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.